This argument is getting old. Does the Prep have an advantage with who they recruit? Hell yes. My guess is that Prep sets lofty goals for their football team every year. Play great competition, win every game, win the league, district and state titles. I'm sure the parents and players all buy into the program and winning. I highly doubt any District One teams set those types of goals. If I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me. If the expectations from the AD and the administration's are low, then the results will be exactly what you see in District One.
Prep and Winning
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Of course, this argument gets old. Folks tend to be talking about apples and oranges. Prep is powerful, talented, virtually unstoppable, and winners. No one disputes this. No one disputes that they have solid coaching. A small portion of their schedule matches them with national powers. Everyone knows they are a boundaryless program.
The issue again is HOW they assemble their teams, the unfair advantages that they have to draw from talent in other states. 99% of PA does not have that situation as an option.
My point is that they SHOULD win it every year! They should set their sights high because they can "bring in" new talented athletes, many from NJ, and dominate. They SHOULD play great competition, win every game, win the league, district, and state titles. Their parents and players SHOULD all buy into the program and winning. Pretty sure most programs with pride in PA are in the same predicament, however, they can not ASSEMBLE a great team each and every year and definitely not the way that Prep does. That is the issue.
The question that none of the Prep defenders have answered yet is why play in the PIAA and compete with teams that are not able to compete with you? Why not do what a team built like them - St. Francis does? Play the best. Have your great coaching match up against other great coaching. Play a national schedule.
St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Tennessee
De La Salle, Concord, CA
Academy of the New Church Bryn Athyn, PA
Life Christian Academy, Chester, VA
West Toronto Prep, Ontario,
St. Thomas More, Oakdale, CT
IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL
Why build a super team only to beat up on teams that can't build like you? What do they get out of it except PIAA gold medals over inferior opponents? Of course, there is going to be an exceptional team that pops up. Prep will be in the next 15 state finals. They will continue to dominate. Everyone knows this.
Good Counsel is in Maryland. West Toronto Prep is not as good as Northeast High (Philadelphia). St. Thomas More (CT) is not as good as half the Interac (though I'm not certain of this). SJP has played Good Counsel, Life Christian and IMG.
Some of the schools (STA, Good Counsel, and De La Salle) take part in their own league / state playoffs.
SJP is very much attached to the PCL. A month ago most people didn't think they'd win it this year.
It helps to get the facts straight.
They're not low expectations, that's a mischaracterization. They're typical. No one I know in this state aspires to be St. Joe's and that's fine. That SJP shoots so high is also fine. Play ball!
A few years back when they played Northeast they had like 12 D1 dudes playing for them and they beat them with a brand new QB. The kids coming from out of state to prep have a quicker commute to school than some of the kids going to Garnet Valley.
Who wants to pay for this ridiculous national schedule idea. Patesteel you seem like you love to spend other people's money or tell them how to do it without contributing anything. Just get over it. The world is full of people that achieve and are resilient and then it has the losers that sit around and whine because they aren't good enough, it is very easy to see where you fall in.
Who wants to pay for this ridiculous national schedule idea. Patesteel you seem like you love to spend other people's money or tell them how to do it without contributing anything. Just get over it. The world is full of people that achieve and are resilient and then it has the losers that sit around and whine because they aren't good enough, it is very easy to see where you fall in.
I don’t disagree with you but a true national schedule is unrealistic for a school that sits in one of the lowest economic areas in this region. They play a national non league schedule like most of the teams do. Tough non league schedule and return to their respective leagues to compete for a state or local championship. St. Francis are forced to play all non league games Bc of their makeup(which is totally different from sjp).st Francis have the backing and they house their athletes from areas well above a 20 min drive across a bridge that you could bike over. A school without a true gym and field.
Also, say PIAA does eliminate sjp. Would the title mean anything to those that compete for it?
Stalk: P-R 100% did aspire to compete on the level of SJP.
RCH: Again, from a P-R player, community, coach perspective, beating SJP put the program on the map. Without them, the title would have meant less. To a certain extent, beating ECP in 2020 was a similar deal. Proving you can beat the best privates in your class.
The thing is, P-R is not a giant school. The coaches and community had to get over whining about SJP and get to work. They did, and with good players, the beat them. IMO, should have also beat them in 2014 as well. In 2018 when they lost, I don't recall one person talking about how they "recruit". It was mostly that, they are better than the P-R kids.
I imagine that's exactly what SJP thought when they played Jurkovec, Katic, Kristifoc, et. al.
As I've said before, unless and until some of these other schools become willing to up their commitment to every part of football, they have no shot at beating SJP unless they have overwhelming talent. Like high P5 kids at every position. That's also why for P-R, playing some of the local 5A/6A school became easy. When you prepare for SJP, playing and beating NA and Lebo and to some extent PCC becomes expected.
But, I get that its HS football and some schools/communities/players/coaches don't want to make that commitment. That's fine. SJP players, coaches, administrators and the rest do. They have built in advantages and they use them. I would hope all the publics do to, as best they can.
RCH: Again, from a P-R player, community, coach perspective, beating SJP put the program on the map. Without them, the title would have meant less. To a certain extent, beating ECP in 2020 was a similar deal. Proving you can beat the best privates in your class.
The thing is, P-R is not a giant school. The coaches and community had to get over whining about SJP and get to work. They did, and with good players, the beat them. IMO, should have also beat them in 2014 as well. In 2018 when they lost, I don't recall one person talking about how they "recruit". It was mostly that, they are better than the P-R kids.
I imagine that's exactly what SJP thought when they played Jurkovec, Katic, Kristifoc, et. al.
As I've said before, unless and until some of these other schools become willing to up their commitment to every part of football, they have no shot at beating SJP unless they have overwhelming talent. Like high P5 kids at every position. That's also why for P-R, playing some of the local 5A/6A school became easy. When you prepare for SJP, playing and beating NA and Lebo and to some extent PCC becomes expected.
But, I get that its HS football and some schools/communities/players/coaches don't want to make that commitment. That's fine. SJP players, coaches, administrators and the rest do. They have built in advantages and they use them. I would hope all the publics do to, as best they can.
100% ,the competitor in us all wants the best so we can say we beat the best. There’s no shame in losing… swallow your pride in get back to the drawing board.
Wow, good stuff- again agreed New- yes, in 2014, PR had an "NFL QB" but they were surprised got beat- they were impressed w them in 2014. So then, they changed their program, they aspired to beat Prep, and they did in 2017. Then, frankly playing them and losing to them in 2018, helped PR beat GM last year- there were 10th graders on that PR team, that got beat, worked hard, and won states in 2020. Some of those kids are now playing FBS football- might not have, if not for the good competition from prep. Not sure if Lebo Coach, Palko has been asked- but he and his staff are great- my guess is they WELCOME the challenge of playing Prep. That Lebo team has a couple FCS and G5 talent kids- they do well- maybe they get other opportunities- Tezca, Heinenrich, and Harvey are good examples- maybe even QB Daniels.
Good for prep- bring it on- will love to see if the "best of WPIAL" can again "knock off the big dog" and the "big dog" of PA is PREP... some states do NOT EVEN HAVE a big dog!!
"Who wants to pay for this ridiculous national schedule idea. Patesteel you seem like you love to spend other people's money or tell them how to do it without contributing anything." Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Prep play Thousand Oaks in California with D'Andre Smith. Somebody spent money to go.
Yep - combination of fundraisers and parents paid the rest, program cannot afford national schedule. They went to CA once, won’t be back. Even TX was a stretch. If you look at every past schedule, it’s usually one “far” away game and the next two are north Jersey or close by. It’s nice to be “out there” for one away game, but SJP is not a boarding school.
I'm talking today and realize the stars aligned for PR. The quality/standards you see at SJP are as quality should be judged. Over time. No dis to PR meant by that.
I'll tell you who could approach SJP is a 6A ultra large enrollment school like North Penn....with the right coach/staff, who understand defense, pass defense in particular.
Because they're not a private and have to stay within their boundaries, they're perfect with their HUGE enrollment numbers and history. Their potential would be unlimited.
I'm talking sustained success, challenging every year at the state level not just districts. Give them a coach like Coach K, maybe Ortega at Coatesville, someone who won't run the Wing-T, with familiarity of today's concepts.
Central Dauphin toyed with remerging with CD East. That'd work to. But you have to have numbers, since you can't go out of your district or state.
Because they're not a private and have to stay within their boundaries, they're perfect with their HUGE enrollment numbers and history. Their potential would be unlimited.
I'm talking sustained success, challenging every year at the state level not just districts. Give them a coach like Coach K, maybe Ortega at Coatesville, someone who won't run the Wing-T, with familiarity of today's concepts.
Central Dauphin toyed with remerging with CD East. That'd work to. But you have to have numbers, since you can't go out of your district or state.
It shouldn't mean anything for prep. It's an all star team playing against regular schools.
It's not much of a victory for the tri-state all stars to be beating on regular schools.
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The tri-state all stars should play summer games. Take all the best players from all the districts and play the tri-state all stars in a summer game. Then it's even. All district team vs the tri-state all stars.
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Lets see, Jersey plus Pa. =2 . Stop with your tri crap.
I’m sorry you couldn’t get into the prep and feel
Slighted. It is going to be ok.
It's true, they shouldn't allow for a school to put an all star team together year in and year out and compete.
What about when people would rent a cheap apartment in a district they wanted their kid to play in and send them to that high school. Didn’t that happen with cb west all the time? How come down south where football is very important do the private schools get destroyed by public schools?
Whoa nelly, you're WAY off. Lived there, family went to power football programs there and can tell you some of the very best fb is played at private schools. Bolles, Am Heritage-Plantation, Jesuit -Tampa, St. T. Aquinas, etc, etc. That's a few and that's just FL.
PIAA is competitive. Gv just didn’t compete. Freedom,Lasalle, judge , and Wood proves parity in the league.
The fact that Penn Trafford beat Imhotep highlights the fact that coaching matters…
My complaint isn't on all boundary schools just a few of them because of there location and able to bring in talent can put these super teams together every year. Two of the biggest examples are prep in football and imohtep in basketball. There are a lot of boundary schools that have rebuilding years and down years. There's only a few out there that can put these super teams together year in and year out.
Let’s discuss this … what’s the core of your concern …. We can talk through this
Prep in football and Imhotep in basketball are able to put these super all star teams together every year. I think they should have teams but there's no reason they should complete in the piaa playoffs. They never have down years or rebuilding years nor will they. They can put these all star teams together year in and year out.
All boundary schools have the freedoms of prep but because of their location and able to go out and get these players they put together these super teams every year and will continue to dominate. Half their teams from new Jersey. Plus the success formula will force tep up. You can't do that to prep. I'm fine with prep having a team but they shouldn't play in the piaa playoffs. Play other PCL schools and a national schedule. They should not beat up on public schools.
No, about 25% of the Prep team is from Jersey--not so different from the % of the student body that's from Jersey.
I have nothing against prep. If I had a kid in Philly I'd send them to prep. Youd get a better education but because of where they are located and the large amount of kids they can pull from they are just going to have these super football teams with unbelievable athletes every year. I don't think it makes it fair for them to complete in the piaa playoffs. Its nothing against prep.
Amen! well said, you have the PCL, the new jersey Catholic schools, and a national schedule you could be playing. There is no reason these super teams they put together should beat up on public schools that have to play with home grown talent. Especially not in the piaa playoffs. They are an all star team.
Like I said a few days ago, Prep- bring it on! I for one am glad that their high caliber program is playing in PIAA. The cliche saying "if you want to be the best you gotta beat the best." The "threat" of great private private schools has pushed pubic schools in WPIAL to GET BETTER. Those Lebo kids benefited from playing against that QB, and Trotter, and the PT kids benefitted from playing against the great talent from Impotep.